Rancho San Joaquin Golf Course

Booked an early tee time for July 4th (cart included) for $90+ .. got to the course early…. Paid for my tee time …. Soon after they swiped my card; that’s when they inform me that I would have to share my cart since I’m a single…. NOT O.K. !

When I expressed my hesitance to ride with a stranger (1. For simple health related concerns; 2. There were no disclaimers on their website about forcing Single players to share carts and I took screen shots afterward my interaction) the club manager insisted that ALL golf courses do this? Dude. I play twice if not 3x per week in OC / LA / IE and nowhere is this “rule” enforced especially after the pandemic. When I asked for a refund, the manager simply refused and gave me the general managers business card. I’ve tried to contact multiple times and no avail. Basically…. I Just had $90+ stolen from me.

I’m sure this place accommodates well for others…. Just not for some.

Got hooked up with a single player named Enrique today...If you even have a 3 some or 2 some and get a tall slender 35 to 40 year old single named Enrique joining you...Just pass him on the first hole if you can. He thought he was a tour player playing in the Masters and believed a 5 hour round was standard. He played well and probably shot a 78 but good god he destroyed our 3 some. We would have passed him multiple times but the 2 groups in front of us where just as slow. I love golf but slow play is the rudest more entitled self serving thing on the planet. it's like drivers driving in the fast and middle lanes at 65 and not letting anyone pass them because they are driving the speed limit and no body is going to pass them. This was Enrique. I can not emphasize this enough. Enrique is a cancerous tumor to the golf course. Problem with this course in particular is that there are always several Enriques on it all the time. Worst pace of play in O.C.
Funniest thing ever...I marked Enriques ball because he was still a hundred yards off the green (slow as a snail) and putted out and he got mad because he said only he can mark his ball and that I ruined his handicap and now he can't use it for this round. I couldn't care less. This in a nutshell is Rancho, everyone thanks they are in a tournament and a 5 hour round is standard. I've said this 25 times but this was the last time I play here.

Other than the greens, course was in pretty mediocre condition. Senior rate was attractive. Multiple holes limited to cart path only. Seemingly too much watering as everywhere was pretty wet.

The earlier reviews made mention of lot of construction and coursework, so I had very low expectations. I was pleasantly surprised that the construction was less than had been described. Perhaps it had advanced since the earlier reviews?

There was one hole where a cement truck was blocking the cart path, and no alternatives route was provided. The course definitely requires more water and attention and with this could be excellent. I understand that the new owners have been making improvements and look forward to seeing continued progress.

It's not a golf course that you have to pay to play. It's dirty, pushed, and the level of people who play golf is too crude.

I like this course, but I hate the slow play. Actually, it's not so much the slow play but the players that refuse to let anyone pass them. They feel that since they paid then they are entitled to take all the time they need. I ended up playing in just over 4.5 hours but only because I felt my group and ended up playing throw 2 other groups (though they protested for 2 holes while there was 1 empty hole between each group.) Come to find out, it was the unofficial Mens club (3 groups) having their reg. Thurs. round that was slowing the whole day down. Completely inconsiderate, selfish and entitled behavior. I teed off one hour behind them and was pushing them on every shot for the last 9 holes. You heard that correctly. I was walking and they were in carts (no cart restrictions and any holes) and I caught them at hole 10. Took me 1.5 hours to walk the front nine and 3 hours to finish. I have told myself at least 10 times I will never play here again and then I get in a rush and want to go out and play and all the tee times are taken so I end up here. Golf should be fun, but out of all the courses in O.C. this one always seems to be the slowest with the most entitled players...Players with a 25 handicap tossing up grass on every shot and pulling out a rangefinder 10 yards off the green and lining up a 2 foot putt for 2 minutes....That is this course in a nutshell.

I walk this course because the pace is just too slow to get a cart. I played past 2 groups (in carts) because there was 2 open holes in front and they complained I passed them. I then joined a nice 3 some and sat in back of 2 other groups that honestly believed that since they paid...No one was going to pass them and play through. This isn't a one time event here at this course. People at RSJ just get mad if you ask to play through even when you wait on every shot and there are at least 2 open holes in front of them. Guy told me I couldn't play through because he paid, so I asked him if he lets people pass him on the toll roads and he said yes, so I said well buddy you are camped out in the fast lane driving 45 MPH and now there are 3 groups piled up in back of you...Him and his friends just didn't care and said they didn't want their day ruined by me passing them. That logic is insane. I hate this course and it's slow play that the pro shop just doesn't care about. People play here in 4.5 or 4.75 hours and actually say that the pace was good. Unbelievable.

The location is nice and the train is fairly flat. Overall it’s in decent condition. The greens had more Davidson them that I’ve ever seen. The ambassador and or Marshall were nonexistent. Saw him drive-by once and he did not even wave. We had an early morning teatime and we’re waiting five minutes per hole. Would have been nice if Marshall did their job and addressed pace of play especially for an early morning weekend time.

Course chewed up. Fairways not good condition. Greens were super slow and spongy.

I absolutely loved this place! Waiting to see the new club house open up next year